MOUNT SAINT MARY'S ARCHIVES AND
DEPARTMENT OF SPECIAL COLLECTIONS
Donations
Before donating any historical material to Mount Saint Mary's, please contact the Archivist to verify that the items fall within the Archives' Collection Policy. Archival institutions cooperate among themselves to ensure that historic material is placed in the most appropriate repository for the benefit of those who use these resources, the researchers. If the items you wish to donate do not fall under the collection policy of Mount Saint Mary's Archives, the Archivist will be able to help you find the most appropriate repository for the material, if you still wish to donate it to an institution where it will be preserved and made accessible to researchers.
If the items you wish to donate come under the Archives' collection policy, the Archivist will ask you to complete and sign a deed of gift. Materials given to the Archives by a donor cannot be accessioned into the collection until a proper deed of gift is executed. The deed of gift formally transfers legal ownership of the donated materials to the Archives. The deed of gift can be downloaded, completed, and forwarded along with the donation to
Mt. St. Mary's Archives & Dept. of Special Collections
Mt. St. Mary's University
Emmitsburg, MD 21747
or the form can be obtained by contacting the Archivist at 301/447-5397 or archives@msmary.edu.
For an explanation of this process and its ramifications, or for more information on donating family or personal papers to an archival repository, you may consult A Guide to Donating Your Personal or Family Papers to a Repository, published by the Society of American Archivists (SAA). If you would like information on donating your organization’s records, please refer to A Guide to Donating Your Organizational Records to a Repository, also published by SAA.
Deposit Agreements
Materials loaned to or deposited with the Archives will be accepted only under extraordinary circumstances, and with the understanding that the materials will be donated to the Archives at a specified date or in the event of the owner's death. Archives staff will not process, provide archival or museum housing, or create finding guides to the materials unless financial support is provided by the owner. A deposit agreement specifying access policies and circumstances for permanent transfer of ownership must be executed before the materials are accepted into the Archives.